The Secret Ingredient (Sesame): Sweet Sesame Brittle Recipe

Growing up, we always had sweet sesame around the house. My mother is an addict. She always has a bag of what is labeled "sesame crunch," sesame seeds solidified with almonds in hard honey caramel, frozen as if in amber. The candy is hard, and one bite sends splintered seeds and burnt sugar all over you; it sticks to your teeth, and it is exotic and satisfying and feels somehow less qustionable than, say, a Jolly Rancher.

When she is feeling particularly decadent, she indulges in a bar of halvah, a candy made from sesame paste, than crumbles and turns to a paste in your mouth with the satisfying effect of pulling peanut butter off a spoon. Sesame candy is, to us, exotic, and, most winningly, never too sweet. Plus, there is the added benefit of making candy at home with just almonds, sesame seeds, sugar, honey, and water. How could you feel bad about that?

I find candy-making intimidating. Even after I bought my candy thermometer. This recipe requires next to no precision, and hence, no apprehension. Boil all the ingredients together in a nonstick pan, smooth it onto a Silpat, wait for it to cool, and chop into little sticks. In my family, of course, we just divvy it up amongst us and keep it in jars to pick on while watching TV or to smuggle into the movies. But if it is less familiar to you, I recommend making it as the simple, very much appreciated homemade end to a North African or Middle Eastern dinner.